Medical gowns for use by various health care workers, as well as by hospital visitors, are well-known in the art. Such protective wear may be designed to provide various levels of protection depending on the particular use and potential contaminants that the health care worker may be exposed to. At the least, a medical gown should shield the wearer's clothes and skin from direct contact with any bodily fluids or medical waste that may be contaminated with germs or viruses. To insure that the wearer does not transfer any germs or viruses to the wearer's clothes or person, a medical gown is commonly affixed in place on the wearer using ties. Preferably, the medical gown is appropriately fitted on the wearer for use, such that no portions of the gown may loosely drape or inadvertently contact contaminated surfaces or substances. The ties themselves, however, can be a source of potential contamination if they inadvertently dangle onto a floor or other surface harboring germs or viruses. This is a difficult problem to avoid, particularly since the ties that are provided on the gown also need to be long enough to secure around healthcare workers of larger stature and short enough not to dangle on the ground when secured around persons of smaller stature.
A need exists, therefore, for medical gowns that minimize the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants. A need also exists for medical gowns that decrease the risk of exposure to healthcare workers of contaminants while also being adjustable in size to accommodate health care workers of varying stature.